State Rep. Duey Voldemort's In-Person Absentee Voter Suppression Scheme Implodes.

It seems no matter what Republicans want to do in Wisconsin, it always costs taxpayer more money.

Follow me on this, because this whole in-person absentee ballot scheme is like the staircases in Hogwarts.

Citizen Action of Wis.

WSJ: A Republican lawmaker, Rep. Duey Stroebel, is proposing limits on the hours and days voters can cast in-person absentee ballots even as such voting increases in popularity in the state. The bill, introduced in the state Assembly late last week, would force municipalities to spend more on mail-in absentee ballots while making it harder for people to vote. Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl said the bill also could drive up costs … the cost of each mailed absentee ballot is $4.79 compared to 55 cents for ballots cast in person.

He looks like Voldemort, right? Oops, will I be barred from Twitter now? More wasted taxpayer money…for what? Electoral mischief? One more thing before we all start feeling a little dizzy: The bizarre limits: 

Duey without nose prosthetic's

The measure proposed by Rep. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, would prohibit clerks from opening early, late or on weekends to accommodate voters wishing to cast their ballots before Election Day … the bill aims to give residents of smaller communities the same access to absentee voting as those in larger communities that can afford to hold extended balloting. "To have those disparities for in-person absentee balloting is not fair … focus is on equality in the system. That's the way he views it."

This is where the wheels start falling off: 

Assembly Bill 54 would confine such in-person absentee voting to 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the three weeks leading up to an election week. It also would prohibit a clerk from remaining open to receive in-person ballots more than 40 hours a week.

So Stroebel’s bill hurts more than helps small towns? 

The proposal could be even more vexing for clerks in small towns, who often work part-time and at the convenience of local residents, said Richard Stadelman, executive director of the Wisconsin Towns Association … it's not unusual for small-town clerks to open their offices on nights and weekends to accommodate in-person absentee voting. He said his group opposes the bill as written.

So Stroebel’s great equalized “7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.” hourly limit, won’t work for those he says he’s trying to “help.”

Don’t laugh: 

Stroebel plans to amend the bill to add flexibility for small communities.

But that negated the reason for the bill in the first place. So we’re either back at the beginning, or Stroebel won’t let his embarrassing idiocy deter his effort to suppress voting. Rural area's will be open after normal work hours, but cities won't be?

The Hogwart's staircases make more sense than this scheme.

But the above lunacy is just one of many reasons why this is one grand waste of time and money:

Diane Hermann-Brown, president of the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association, said her office in the city of Sun Prairie is open 42 1/2 hours a week normally, and, by statute, 43 1/2 hours the week before an election. She wondered about the practical effect of having her staff turn away absentee ballots while accepting dog licenses and handling other duties … (or) what would clerks do if absentee voters are still in line at 5 p.m. Sun Prairie had an hour and a half wait among absentee voters at 5 p.m. on the Friday before the November election, she said.

 … 18,752 people cast ballots at the counter she said. "The bigger the city, the longer the travel time to get to the city clerk's office."

Casting a ballot before Election Day … has become popular in Wisconsin, with more than 500,000 voters doing so in the November general election.